Display device with compensating film

ABSTRACT

A display device, including a display panel that displays an image; a flexible printed circuit board including an attaching part attached to one end of the display panel and a curved part extending from the attaching part and not overlapping with the display panel; a window assembly on an upper surface of the display panel; an adhesive part between the window assembly and the display panel to couple the display panel and the window assembly; and a compensating part not overlapping with the display panel, overlapping with the curved part, and on a same layer as the attaching part.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application based on pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/051,706, filed on Aug. 1, 2018, the disclosureof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/051,706 is a continuation application ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/924,747, filed Oct. 28, 2015, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,048,786, issued Aug. 14, 2018, the disclosure of whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. Pat. No.10,048,786 claims priority benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2015-0033352, filed on Mar. 10, 2015 in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, and entitled, “Display Device and Portable Terminal,”the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present disclosure relates to a display device and a portableterminal.

2. Description of the Related Art

A display device may include a display panel, a driving circuit boarddriving the display panel, and a flexible printed circuit boardelectrically connecting the display panel and the driving circuit board.

SUMMARY

Embodiments may be realized by providing a display device, including adisplay panel that displays an image; a flexible printed circuit boardincluding an attaching part attached to one end of the display panel anda curved part extending from the attaching part and not overlapping withthe display panel; a window assembly on an upper surface of the displaypanel; an adhesive part between the window assembly and the displaypanel to couple the display panel and the window assembly; and acompensating part not overlapping with the display panel, overlappingwith the curved part, and on a same layer as the adhesive part.

A first surface of the compensating part may be coupled to the windowassembly, and a second surface of the compensating part, which faces thefirst surface, may be exposed to air and faces the curved part.

The display device may further include a connecting part between theadhesive part and the compensating part to connect the adhesive part andthe compensating part, the connecting part overlapping with theattaching part when viewed in a plan view. The adhesive part, theconnecting part, and the compensating part may be integrally formed as asingle unit.

The adhesive part, the connecting part, and the compensating part may bean optically clear adhesive film.

The curved part may include a first curved part that is closer to thewindow assembly as a distance from the display panel increases; and asecond curved part that is farther away from the window assembly as thedistance from the display panel increases, and the compensating partoverlapping with one or more of the first curved part or the secondcurved part when viewed in plan view.

A first distance between the attaching part and the connecting part maybe greater than a second distance between the first curved part and thecompensating part.

A boundary part at which the first curved part meets the second curvedpart may be attached to the compensating part.

The curved part further may include a third curved part between thefirst curved part and the second curved part, and the third curved partmay be attached to the compensating part.

The compensating part may include a non-adhesive material.

The compensating part may include a same material as the adhesive part.

The compensating part may be spaced apart from the adhesive part.

A shortest distance between the curved part and the compensating partmay be smaller than a distance between the attaching part and the windowassembly.

The compensating part may be spaced apart from the curved part.

The compensating part may have a thickness equal to or greater than athickness of the adhesive part.

The window assembly may include a window member; and a touch panelbetween the window member and the display panel, a first surface of theadhesive part may be attached to the touch panel, and a second surfaceof the adhesive part may be attached to the display panel.

The display panel may include a base substrate; a pad part on onesurface of the base substrate and electrically connected to the flexibleprinted circuit board; an organic light emitting diode layer on the basesubstrate; an encapsulation layer sealing the organic light emittingdiode layer to expose the pad part; and a touch part on theencapsulation layer, and the adhesive part may be between the windowassembly and the touch part to couple the display panel and the windowassembly.

The display panel may further include an optical member facing thewindow assembly, and the adhesive part may be between the optical memberand the window assembly to couple the display panel and the windowassembly.

Embodiments may be realized by providing a portable terminal, includinga display panel; a flexible printed circuit board attached to one end ofthe display panel and bent to a rear surface of the display panel; awindow assembly on an upper surface of the display panel; an adhesivepart between the display panel and the window assembly to couple thedisplay panel and the window assembly; and a compensating part coupledto the surface of the window assembly, to which the adhesive part isattached, the compensating part facing the flexible printed circuitboard, a distance between the compensating part and the flexible printedcircuit board changing with a distance from the display panel.

The flexible printed circuit board may be spaced apart from thecompensating part.

The compensating part and the adhesive part may be connected to eachother to have a single unit shape.

The compensating part may not be overlapping with the display panel whenviewed in a plan view.

Embodiments may be realized by providing a display device, including adisplay panel; a flexible printed circuit board attached to one end ofthe display panel and bent to a rear surface of the display panel; atouch panel on the display panel; a window member on the touch panel;and an adhesive film between the display panel and the touch panel, theadhesive film being attached to one surface of the touch panel andextending from a region in which the touch panel is overlapping with thedisplay panel to a region in which the touch panel is not overlappingwith the display panel to overlap with the flexible printed circuitboard.

A distance between the flexible printed circuit board and the adhesivefilm may change with a distance from the display panel.

A portion of the flexible printed circuit board, which is notoverlapping with the display panel when viewed in a plan view, may beattached to the adhesive film.

The flexible printed circuit board may be spaced apart from the adhesivefilm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features will become apparent to those of skill in the art by describingin detail exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawingsin which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a display device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a plan view of the display device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a plan view of the display device shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a plan view of the display device shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 16 illustrates a plan view of a display panel according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 17 illustrates an equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings; however, they may be embodied indifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey exemplary implementations to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing figures, the dimensions of layers and regions may beexaggerated for clarity of illustration. Like reference numerals referto like elements throughout.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc., maybe used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/orsections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only usedto distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section fromanother region, layer or section. It will be understood that when anelement or layer is referred to as being “on”, “connected to” or“coupled to” another element or layer, it can be directly on, connectedor coupled to the other element or layer or intervening elements orlayers may be present.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a display device DD accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a flat portable terminal to which the display device DDaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may beapplied as a representative example. In an embodiment, the portableterminal may be applied to various display devices, such as, forexample, a curved display device, a bent display device, a rollabledisplay device, a foldable display device, or a stretchable displaydevice, according to embodiments. In an embodiment, the display deviceDD may be applied to a large-sized electronic item, such as, forexample, a television set or an outdoor billboard, and a small andmedium-sized electronic item, such as, for example, a personal computer,a notebook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a carnavigation unit, a game unit, a wrist-type electronic device, or acamera.

The display device DD may include a plurality of regions distinct fromeach other on a display surface. The display device DD may include adisplay region DR through which an image IM may be displayed and anon-display region NDR disposed adjacent to the display region DR. Thedisplay surface, through which the image IM may be displayed, may besubstantially parallel to a surface defined by a first direction DR1 anda second direction DR2, and a normal line direction of the displaysurface is referred to as a third direction DR3. In an embodiment, thethird direction DR3 may serve as a reference direction to divide a frontsurface and a rear surface of each member.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the display device DDaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3illustrates a cross-sectional view of the display device DD according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4illustrates a plan view of the display device DD shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the display device DD may include adisplay panel 100, a flexible printed circuit board 110, a protectivemember 120, a driving circuit board 130, a window assembly WA, anadhesive film AF, and a cover member 400.

The display panel 100 may generate an image corresponding to image dataapplied thereto. The display panel 100 may be various display panels,such as, for example, an organic light emitting display panel, a liquidcrystal display panel, a plasma display panel, an electrophoreticdisplay panel, or an electrowetting display panel. In the presentexemplary embodiment, an organic light emitting display panel will bedescribed as the display panel 100.

The display panel 100 may include a base substrate BS, a circuit layerML, an organic light emitting diode layer EL, an encapsulation layerECL, a pad part PAD, and an optical member PL.

The base substrate BS may include one or more of a glass substrate, asapphire substrate, or a plastic substrate. The circuit layer ML, theorganic light emitting diode layer EL, the encapsulation layer ECL, thepad part PAD, and the optical member PL may be disposed above the basesubstrate BS.

The circuit layer ML may include a plurality of signal lines and aplurality of electronic devices, which may be included in the displaypanel 100. For example, the circuit layer ML may include gate lines,data lines, and thin film transistors respectively corresponding topixels.

The organic light emitting diode layer EL may generate lights havingcolors corresponding to luminous substances. In an embodiment, thecolors may include red, green, blue, and white colors.

The encapsulation layer ECL may include a thin film encapsulation layer(TFE), i.e., a plurality of inorganic thin film layers and a pluralityof organic thin film layers. The encapsulation layer ECL may cover theorganic light emitting diode layer EL and may block external moistureand air to protect the organic light emitting diode layer EL. In thepresent exemplary embodiment, the encapsulation layer ECL may bereplaced with an encapsulation substrate. The encapsulation substratemay be disposed to be spaced apart from the base substrate BS such thatthe organic light emitting diode layer EL may be disposed between theencapsulation substrate and the base substrate BS. The encapsulationsubstrate and the base substrate BS may be coupled to each other by asealant formed along an edge of the base substrate BS.

The pad part PAD may include pads corresponding to signal lineselectrically connected to the pixels in a one-to-one correspondence andelectrically connected to the signal lines. The pad part PAD may beelectrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board 110 and mayreceive signals used to drive the display panel 100 from the drivingcircuit board 130.

The optical member PL may include one or more of a retardation plate ora polarizing plate. When the optical member PL includes the retardationplate and the polarizing plate, the polarizing plate may be disposedabove the retardation plate. An external light incident to the windowassembly WA may be linearly polarized while passing through thepolarizing plate. The linearly-polarized light may be reflected afterpassing through the retardation plate and incident to the polarizingplate after passing again through the retardation plate. Thelinearly-polarized light may be circularly polarized to have a phasedifference of about 45 degrees while passing through the retardationplate. As a result, the external light may not pass through thepolarizing plate after passing again through the retardation plate, andmay become extinct. For example, a right circularly polarized lightafter passing through the retardation plate may be transformed into aleft circularly polarized light after being reflected and the rightcircularly polarized light may destructively interfere with the leftcircularly polarized light, and the external light may become extinct.Accordingly, a reflectance of the display device DD with respect to theexternal light may be reduced. The optical member PL may be omittedaccording to embodiments.

The flexible printed circuit board 110 may be attached to one end of thedisplay panel 100 and bent to a rear surface of the display panel 100.The flexible printed circuit board 110 may include an attaching part 111that may be attached to the one end of the display panel 100 and acurved part 112 extending from the attaching part 111. The attachingpart 111 may be electrically connected to the pad part PAD and may applysignals to the display panel 100. A data driving chip may be mounted onone surface of the flexible printed circuit board 110. The data drivingchip may generate data signals, which may be applied to data lines DL(refer to FIG. 16) of the display panel 100, in response to an externalsignal.

The curved part 112 may not be overlapping with the display panel 100when viewed in a plan view. For example, a region of the flexibleprinted circuit board 110, which may extend farther away from thedisplay panel 100 and may face the window assembly WA, may correspond tothe curved part 112.

The curved part 112 may include a first curved part 112 a and a secondcurved part 112 b. A distance DI1 between the first curved part 112 aand the window assembly WA may decrease as the first curved part 112 abecomes farther away from the display panel 100, e.g., a distance DI1between the first curved part 112 a and the window assembly WA maydecrease along the first curved part 112 a in a direction away from thedisplay panel 100. A distance DI2 between the second curved part 112 band the window assembly WA may increase as the second curved part 112 bbecomes farther away from the display panel 100, e.g., a distance DI2between the second curved part 112 b and the window assembly WA mayincrease along the second curved part 112 b in direction away from thedisplay panel 100. The first and second curved parts 112 a and 112 b maybe distinct from each other as viewed relative to the shape in which theflexible printed circuit board 110 is bent to the rear surface of thedisplay panel 100. According to an embodiment, the distance DI1 betweenthe first curved part 112 a and the window assembly WA may be constanteven though the first curved part 112 a becomes farther away from thedisplay panel 100, e.g., the distance DI1 between the first curved part112 a and the window assembly WA may be constant along the first curvedpart 112 a in a direction away from the display panel 100, and thedistance DI2 between the second curved part 112 b and the windowassembly WA may increase even though the second curved part 112 bbecomes farther away from the display panel 100, e.g., the distance DI2between the second curved part 112 b and the window assembly WA mayincrease along the second curved part 112 b in a direction away from thedisplay panel 100.

The protective member 120 may include one or more of a buffering memberor a heat discharge member. The buffering member may include a materialwith high impact absorption properties. For example, the bufferingmember may be formed of a polymer resin, e.g., polyurethane,polycarbonate, polypropylene, or polyethylene, or formed from a rubbersolution, a urethane-based material, or a sponge obtained byfoaming/molding an acrylic-based material.

In an embodiment, the heat discharge member may include one or more ofgraphite, copper, or aluminum, which may have superior heat dischargeproperties. The heat discharge member may have an electromagnetic waveshielding property or an electromagnetic wave absorbing property.

The driving circuit board 130 may be disposed on the rear surface of thedisplay panel 100. The driving circuit board 130 may be electricallyconnected to the display panel 100 by the flexible printed circuit board110. The driving circuit board 130 may apply an image signal displayingthe image and a control signal driving the display panel 100 to thedisplay panel 100.

The driving circuit board 130 may include a base substrate and the basesubstrate may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit board. In thiscase, the base substrate may be, for example, a flexible plastic board,e.g., polyimide or polyester.

The window assembly WA may be disposed on an upper surface of thedisplay panel 100. The window assembly WA may include a touch panel 200,a window member 300, and an adhesive member OCA.

The touch panel 200 may obtain coordinate information of a touchposition. The touch panel 200 may be disposed on the upper surface ofthe display panel 100. The touch panel 200 may be a resistive type touchpanel, an electrostatic capacitive type touch panel, or anelectromagnetic induction type touch panel. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the touch panel 200 may be the electrostatic capacitive typetouch panel. The touch panel 200 may include two kinds of sensorscrossing each other. The electrostatic capacitive type touch panel mayobtain the coordinate information of the touch position by aself-capacitance method or a mutual capacitance method.

The window member 300 may include a base substrate and a black matrix.The base substrate may be, for example, a silicon substrate, a glasssubstrate, a sapphire substrate, or a plastic film. The black matrix maybe disposed on a rear surface of the base substrate to define a bezelarea, i.e., the non-display area NDR (refer to FIG. 1), of the displaydevice DD. The black matrix may be formed by coating a colored organicmaterial. The window member 300 may further include a functional coatinglayer disposed on a front surface of the base member. The functionalcoating layer may include, for example, an anti-fingerprint layer, ananti-reflection layer, or a hard coating layer.

The touch panel 200 and the window member 300 may be coupled to eachother using the adhesive member OCA. In an embodiment, the adhesivemember OCA may include an optically clear adhesive film. For example,the adhesive member OCA may be an optical clear resin.

The adhesive film AF may be disposed between the window assembly WA andthe display panel 100. The window assembly WA and the display panel 100may be coupled to each other by the adhesive film AF. The adhesive filmAF may be attached to one surface of the touch panel 200 and may extendfrom a region in which the touch panel 200 is overlapping with thedisplay panel 100 to a region in which the touch panel 200 is notoverlapping with the display panel 100.

The adhesive film AF may include an adhesive part AF_1, a compensatingpart AF_2, and a connecting part AF_3. When viewed in a plan view, theadhesive part AF_1 may be overlapping with the display panel 100 and maycouple the display panel 100 and the window assembly WA. Thecompensating part AF_2 may be overlapping with the curved part 112 whenviewed in a plan view and may compensate for a gap between the windowassembly WA and the curved part 112. The compensating part AF_2 may beoverlapping with at least a half portion of the flexible printed circuitboard 110 not overlapping with the display panel 100. The connectingpart AF_3 may be overlapping with the attaching part 111 when viewed ina plan view.

The connecting part AF_3 may be disposed between the adhesive part AF_1and the compensating part AF_2 and may connect the adhesive part AF_1and the compensating part AF_2. For example, the adhesive part AF_1, thecompensating part AF_2, and the connecting part AF_3 may be integrallyformed with each other to form one adhesive film AF. For example, theadhesive film AF may extend to the region in which the touch panel 200is not overlapping with the display panel 100, and may be overlappingwith the curved part 112. The adhesive part AF_1, the compensating partAF_2, and the connecting part AF_3 may have the same thickness.

A first distance DT1 between the attaching part 111 and the connectingpart AF_3 may be constant and a distance between the curved part 112 andthe compensating part AF_2 may be varied depending on the distance fromthe display panel 100. In the present exemplary embodiment, thecompensating part AF_2 may be overlapping with the first curved part 112a when viewed in a plan view. A second distance DT2 between the firstcurved part 112 a and the compensating part AF_2 may decrease as thedistance from the display panel 100 increases. The second distance DT2may be smaller than the first distance DT1 and a shortest distancebetween the curved part 112 and the compensating part AF_2 may besmaller than the first distance DT1.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, a portion of the gapbetween the window assembly WA and the flexible printed circuit board110 may be easily filled by extending the adhesive film AF withoutadding a separate material or process. Accordingly, a space in which theflexible printed circuit board 110 may move upward to window assembly WAmay be reduced. Although an external force may be applied to the bentflexible printed circuit board 110 when the cover member 400 isassembled, variations in position and shape of the flexible printedcircuit board 110 may be reduced. As a result, defects may be preventedfrom occurring on the flexible printed circuit board 110 and reliabilityof the display device DD may be improved.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the adhesive film AF may be theoptically clear adhesive film. In an embodiment, the adhesive film AFmay be replaced with the optical clear resin.

The cover member 400 may accommodate the display panel 100 and may becoupled to the window assembly WA. The cover member 400 may bemanufactured by assembling plural parts or manufactured in a one-bodyformed by an injection molding process. The cover member 400 may includea plastic or metallic material.

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDaaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.5, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, a boundary part 112BL between the first curved part112 a and the second curved part 112 b may be attached to thecompensating part AF_2. The boundary part 112BL may be attached to thecompensating part AF_2 when the window assembly WA is coupled to thedisplay panel 100.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a portion of the flexible printedcircuit board 110 may be attached to the compensating part AF_2, and theposition and shape of the flexible printed circuit board 110 may beprevented from being changed even though external force may be appliedto the flexible printed circuit board 110 while the cover member 400(refer to FIG. 1) is assembled. As a result, the attaching part 111 maybe prevented from being separated from the pad part PAD due to, forexample, the external force, the lines arranged on the flexible printedcircuit board 110 may be prevented from being cracked, and reliabilityof the display device DDa may be improved.

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDbaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and FIG.illustrates is a plan view of the display device DDb shown in FIG. 6. InFIGS. 6 and 7, the same reference numerals denote the same elements inFIG. 3, and detailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an adhesive film AFa may include an adhesivepart AF_1, a compensating part AF_2 a, and a connecting part AF_3. Theadhesive part AF_1 may be overlapping with the display panel 100 whenviewed in a plan view and may couple the display panel 100 and thewindow assembly WA. The compensating part AF_2 a may be overlapping withthe first and second curved parts 112 a and 112 b when viewed in a planview and the connecting part AF_3 may be overlapping with the attachingpart 111 when viewed in a plan view.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the adhesive film AFa may extend toa region corresponding to an end portion of the bent flexible printedcircuit board 110. A portion of the gap between the window assembly WAand the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be filled with theadhesive film AFa. Accordingly, a space in which the flexible printedcircuit board 110 may move upward to the window assembly WA may bereduced. As a result, although the external force may be applied to thebent flexible printed circuit board 110, variations in position andshape of the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be reduced, andreliability of the display device DDb may be improved.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDcaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.8, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flexible printed circuit board 110_1 may be bentto a rear surface of the display panel 100. The flexible printed circuitboard 110_1 may include an attaching part 111 attached to the displaypanel 100 and a curved part 112-1 extending from the attaching part 111and that may be farther away from the display panel 100.

The curved part 112_1 may include a first curved part 112 a_1 closer tothe window assembly WA as a distance from the display panel 100increases, a second curved part 112 b_1 farther away from the windowassembly WA as a distance from the display panel 100 increases, and athird curved part 112 c_1 disposed between the first and second curvedparts 112 a_1 and 112 b_1. The third curved part 112 c_1 may be attachedto the compensating part AF_2. The third curved part 112 c_1 may havesubstantially a flat shape when viewed from a cross-sectional view.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the third curved part 112 c_1 maybe attached to the compensating part AF_2, and the flexible printedcircuit board 110_1 attached to the display panel 100 may be preventedfrom moving upward even though the external force may be applied to thebent flexible printed circuit board 110_1. As a result, the attachingpart 111 may be prevented from being separated from the pad part PAD dueto, for example, the external force, the lines arranged on the flexibleprinted circuit board 110_1 may be prevented from being cracked, andreliability of the display device DDc may be improved.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDdaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.9, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 9, an adhesive film AFb may include an adhesive partAF_1 and a compensating part AF_2 b spaced apart from the adhesive partAF_1. In the present exemplary embodiment, the connecting part AF_3(refer to FIG. 3) may be omitted as compared to the display device DDshown in FIG. 3.

The compensating part AF_2 b may be overlapping with the first curvedpart 112 a and not overlapping with the second curved part 112 b whenviewed in a plan view. The compensating part AF_2 b may compensate forthe gap between the flexible printed circuit board 110 and the windowassembly WA.

One surface of the compensating part AF_2 b may be attached to thewindow assembly WA and the other surface of the compensation part AF_2b, which faces the one surface, may be exposed to the air.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the compensating part AF_2 b mayinclude the same material as that of the adhesive part AF_1.Accordingly, the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be disposed tobe spaced apart from the compensating part AF_2 b as shown in FIG. 9,but the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be attached to thecompensating part AF_2 b as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the compensating part AF_2 b may beseparately provided from the adhesive part AF_1, and the compensatingpart AF_2 b may be deformed. For example, the size and thickness of thecompensating part AF_2 b may be variously changed in accordance with agap between the window assembly WA and the flexible printed circuitboard 110 and a size of the display device DDd, and the gap between thewindow assembly WA and the flexible printed circuit board 110 may befilled without directly exerting influence on the thickness of thedisplay device DDd.

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDeaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.10, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 10, an adhesive film AFc may include an adhesive partAF_1 and a compensating part AF_2 c spaced apart from the adhesive partAF_1.

The compensating part AF_2 c may not be overlapping with the firstcurved part 112 a and may be overlapping with the second curved part 112b when viewed in a plan view. The compensating part AF_2 c maycompensate for the gap between the flexible printed circuit board 110and the window assembly WA. Accordingly, variations in the position andshape of the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be reduced eventhough the external force may be applied to the bent flexible printedcircuit board 110, and reliability of the display device DDe may beimproved.

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDfaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and FIG.12 illustrates a plan view of the display device shown in FIG. 11. InFIGS. 11 and 12, the same reference numerals denote the same elements inFIG. 3, and detailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 11 and 12, an adhesive film AFd may include anadhesive part AF_1 and a compensating part AF_2 d spaced apart from theadhesive part AF_1. The adhesive part AF_1 may have a first thicknessTN1 that is equal to a second thickness TN2 of the compensating partAF_2 d.

The compensating part AF_2 d may be overlapping with the first andsecond curved parts 112 a and 112 b. The compensating part AF_2 d maycompensate for the gap between the flexible printed circuit board 110and the window assembly WA. Accordingly, variations in the position andshape of the flexible printed circuit board 110 may be reduced eventhough the external force may be applied to the bent flexible printedcircuit board 110, and reliability of the display device DDf may beimproved.

FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDgaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.13, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 13, an adhesive film AFe may include an adhesive partAF_1 and a compensating part AF_2 e spaced apart from the adhesive partAF_1. In the present exemplary embodiment, the compensating part AF_2 emay have a second thickness TN3 thicker than a first thickness TN1 ofthe adhesive part AF_1, and the gap between the window assembly WA andthe flexible printed circuit board 110 may be reduced by the secondthickness TN3. The second thickness TN3 may thicker than the firstthickness TN1, and the space in which the flexible printed circuit board110 may move may be reduced more than when the second thickness TN3 isequal to the first thickness TN1. As a result, variations in theposition and shape of the flexible printed circuit board 110 may bereduced even though the external force may be applied to the bentflexible printed circuit board 110, and reliability of the displaydevice DDg may be improved.

FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDhaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIG.14, the same reference numerals denote the same elements in FIG. 3, anddetailed descriptions of the same elements will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 14, the display device DDh may include an adhesivepart AFf disposed between the window assembly WA and the display panel100 to couple the window assembly WA and the display panel 100 and acompensating part CM overlapping with the flexible printed circuit board110 and not overlapping with the display panel 100 when viewed in a planview.

One surface of the compensating part CM may be coupled to the windowassembly WA, and a portion of the other surface facing the one surfaceof the compensating part CM may be exposed to the air and may face thecurved part 112. In this case, the curved part 112 may move to the thirddirection DR3, and the curved part 112 may make contact with thecompensating part CM.

The compensating part CM may include a non-adhesive material. Forexample, the compensating part CM may include a plastic material, suchas, for example, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, or polyethylenenaphthalate.

The compensating part CM may have a thickness TN4 equal to or greaterthan a thickness TN1 of the adhesive part AFf. The thickness TN4 of thecompensating part CM may be determined depending on the gap between thewindow assembly WA and the flexible printed circuit board 110.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the compensating part CM may beoverlapping with the first curved part 112 a when viewed in a plan view.In an embodiment, the compensating part CM may not be overlapping withthe first curved part 112 a and overlapping with the second curved part112 b. According to an embodiment, the compensating part CM may beoverlapping with both of the first and second curved parts 112 a and 112b.

FIG. 15 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a display device DDiaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, the display device DDi may include a windowassembly WA1, a display panel 100_1, a flexible printed circuit board110, and an adhesive film AFg.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the display panel 100_1 may includea base substrate BS, a circuit layer ML, an organic light emitting diodelayer EL, an encapsulation layer ECL, a pan part PAD, and a touch partTS. The touch part TS may be directly disposed on the encapsulationlayer ECL.

The window assembly WA1 may include a base member and a black matrix.The base member may include a silicon substrate, a glass substrate, or aplastic film. The black matrix may be disposed on a rear surface of thebase member to define a bezel area, i.e., the non-display area NDR(refer to FIG. 1), of the display device DDi.

An adhesive film AFg may be disposed between the window assembly WA1 andthe display panel 100_1. The adhesive film AFg may include an adhesivepart AF_1 g, a compensating part AF_2 g, and a connecting part AF_3 g.

One surface of each of the adhesive part AF_1 g, the compensating partAF_2 g, and the connecting part AF_3 g may be attached to the windowassembly WA1. The other surface of the adhesive part AF_1 g, which mayface the one surface of the adhesive part AF_1 g attached to the windowassembly WA1, may be attached to the touch part TS. The other surface ofthe compensating part AF_2 g, which may face the one surface of thecompensating part AF_2 g attached to the window assembly WA1, may beexposed to the air to face the curved part 112, e.g., may face the firstcurved part 112 a.

According to the present exemplary embodiment, the gap between thewindow assembly WA1 and the flexible printed circuit board 110 may beeasily compensated by extending the adhesive film AFg without adding aseparate material or process. Therefore, although an external force maybe applied to the bent flexible printed circuit board 110 when the covermember 400 is assembled, variations in position and shape of theflexible printed circuit board 110 may be reduced. As a result, defectsmay be prevented from occurring on the flexible printed circuit board110 and reliability of the display device DDi may be improved.

FIG. 16 illustrates a plan view of a display panel according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure and FIG. 17 illustratesan equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 16, and 17, the circuit layer ML may include aplurality of signal lines SGL, thin film transistors TR1 and TR2, atleast one capacitor Cap, and a gate driving circuit DCV disposed at oneside of the non-display area NDR.

The signal lines SGL include gate lines GL and data lines DL. Each ofthe gate lines GL may be connected to a corresponding pixel of thepixels PX and each of the data lines DL may be connected to acorresponding pixel of the pixels PX. The gate lines GL may extend in asecond direction DR2 and may be arranged in a first direction DR1, andthe data lines DL may extend in the first direction DR1 and may bearranged in the second direction DR2.

The pad part PAD may include gate pads GL-P and data pads DL-P. The gatepads GL-P may be electrically connected to the gate lines GL and thedata pads DL-P may be electrically connected to the data lines DL. Thegate pads GL-P and the data pads DL-P, which may be disposed in thenon-display area NDR, may be coupled to the attaching part 111 of theflexible printed circuit board 110.

The organic light emitting diode layer EL may include display elements.The organic light emitting diode layer EL may include an organic lightemitting diode OLED of the pixel PX. The organic light emitting diodelayer EL may further include organic layers to assist the organic lightemitting diode.

The display panel 100 may receive a first source voltage ELVDD and asecond source voltage ELVSS from an external source. Each pixel PX maybe turned on in response to a corresponding gate signal of gate signals.Each pixel PX may receive the first and second source voltages ELVDD andELVSS and may generate a light in response to a corresponding datasignal of data signals.

By way of summation and review, a display device may include a displaypanel, a driving circuit board driving the display panel, and a flexibleprinted circuit board electrically connecting the display panel and thedriving circuit board. When a cover member is coupled to the displaypanel, an external force may be applied to the flexible printed circuitboard, and the flexible printed circuit board may be deformed. Due to,for example, the deformation of the flexible printed circuit board,lines arranged on the flexible printed circuit board may be cracked.

The present disclosure provides a display device that may be capable ofreducing defects and a portable terminal that may be capable of reducingdefects.

According to embodiments, a gap between a window assembly and a flexibleprinted circuit board may be compensated by extending an adhesive film.Therefore, although an external force may be applied to the bentflexible printed circuit board when the cover member is assembled,variations in position and shape of the flexible printed circuit boardmay be reduced. As a result, defects may be prevented from occurring onthe flexible printed circuit board and reliability of the display devicemay be improved.

Example embodiments have been disclosed herein, and although specificterms are employed, they are used and are to be interpreted in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purpose of limitation. In someinstances, as would be apparent to one of skill in the art as of thefiling of the present application, features, characteristics, and/orelements described in connection with a particular embodiment may beused singly or in combination with features, characteristics, and/orelements described in connection with other embodiments unless otherwisespecifically indicated. Accordingly, it will be understood by those ofskill in the art that various changes in form and details may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asset forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display device comprising: a display panel; awindow disposed on the display panel, the window including a first areaoverlapping the display panel and a second area not overlapping thedisplay panel defined therein; a touch panel disposed between the windowand the display panel; a first film disposed between the display paneland the touch panel, the first film overlapping with the first area ofthe window; and a second film disposed below the touch panel, the secondfilm overlapping with the second area of the window, wherein a lowersurface of the second film does not contact other layers, the touchpanel includes a first region overlapping the first film, a secondregion overlapping the second film, and a third region non-overlappingthe first film and the second film, and the third region is spaced apartfrom the first region with the second region interposed therebetween. 2.The display device of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the second film isgreater than a thickness of the first film.
 3. The display device ofclaim 1, wherein the first film is spaced apart from the second film. 4.The display device of claim 1, wherein the first film is connected tothe second film, and the first film and the second film have anintegrated shape.
 5. The display device of claim 1, further comprising aflexible printed circuit board attached to one end of the display paneland bent to a rear surface of the display panel, wherein at least aportion of the flexible printed circuit board overlaps the second filmon a plane.
 6. The display device of claim 5, wherein the flexibleprinted circuit board is spaced apart from the second film.
 7. Thedisplay device of claim 1, wherein the second film is spaced apart fromthe display panel on a plane.
 8. The display device of claim 1, whereinan upper surface of the first film and an upper surface of the secondfilm are attached on a same layer.
 9. A display device comprising: awindow; a display panel disposed below the window and having an areasmaller than an area of the window; a touch panel disposed between thewindow and the display panel; and a film that includes: a first filmportion disposed between the touch panel and the display panel andhaving an area smaller than an area of the window; and a second filmportion disposed under the touch panel and spaced apart from the displaypanel, wherein the second film portion includes an upper surface facingthe touch panel and a lower surface spaced apart from the touch panelwith the upper surface therebetween, the lower surface of the secondfilm portion is being exposed, the touch panel includes a first regionoverlapping the first film portion, a second region overlapping thesecond film portion, and a third region that does not overlap any partof the film, and the third region is spaced apart from the first regionwith the second region interposed therebetween.
 10. The display deviceof claim 9, wherein the first film portion and the second film portionare integrally connected to form one adhesive film.
 11. The displaydevice of claim 9, wherein the first film portion and the second filmportion are spaced apart from each other.
 12. The display device ofclaim 9, wherein a thickness of the second film portion is greater thanor equal to a thickness of the first film portion.